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This month, thousands of global leaders, changemakers, and corporate citizens gather in New York City for the 2025 United Nations General Assembly. Beyond the official sessions for this event, another kind of convening will unfoldone thats less formal, but no less powerful. For those of us working in corporate social responsibility (CSR), this week offers a rare opportunity: a convergence of peers, partners, and potential collaborators all in one place. The networking corridors, side events, and shared coffees become fertile ground for forging new alliancesones that can scale impact far beyond what any single company could achieve alone. It often strikes me that my role in corporate social responsibility might sit in the least competitive corner of the business world. With companies trying to outpace one another, corporate social responsibility offers an opportunity for a different formula: The more we align, the more lives we reach. Public-private partnerships While every company has its own limits with philanthropic budgets, we can make those dollars stretch further through private-private partnershipsalliances where 1 + 1 equals 3. These partnerships allow companies to pool resources, expertise, and infrastructure in pursuit of shared values and social impact goals. Take, for example, a 2023 collaboration between Kelloggs and the Albertsons Companies Foundation to support Feeding America through the Feed the Love campaign. Kelloggs provided a grant to the Foundations Nourishing Neighbors initiative, helping provide over 300,000 meals. Albertsons promoted the effort across its grocery network, engaging consumers in the shared mission. This alignment showcases how leading brands in food manufacturing and retail can unite resources, amplify reach, and drive progress toward hunger relief. In early 2025, after wildfires scorched parts of Southern California, PepsiCo stepped up to supply food and beverages to affected families. Their strength was inventorybut distribution was the hurdle. By teaming with Amazon, PepsiCos Food for Good program accelerated relief delivery, turning shared logistics into life-saving outreach. NBCUniversal has cultivated extended partnerships that amplify nonprofit storytelling and nurture future creative talent. Our Creative Impact Lab not only supports nonprofit marketing but also provides career-building experiences for emerging creatives. Recently, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth (the Center) joined forces with NBCUs Lab to elevate the work of its grantee, Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF), a Chicago-based nonprofit that finances small businesses. The Center funded Free Spirit Media to create marketing assets, with NBCUniversal employees mentoring the young creators. The resulting PSA now airs in donated media time on Comcast and NBCUniversal platforms, giving CRF national visibility. Similarly, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) collaborated with NBCU to spotlight Wide Angle Youth Media (WAYM), a Baltimore nonprofit focused on media arts education. Through this partnership, WAYMs young creatives told their storybacked by funding, mentoring, and national airtime. In both projects, the benefits were mutual: funding and a selection of deserving grantee organizations from ELC and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, free airtime, and mentorship from NBCUniversal. Plus there were invaluable opportunities for rising creatives. These efforts created awareness for the nonprofits, while supporting the next generation of creative talent. Shared values And heres the key: None of this could happen without shared values. It requires corporations willing to break silos, share missions, and treat CSR not as a checkbox, but a creative, collective force for good. Looking ahead, I envision a CSR landscape where such partnerships are more routine. And, where industries of all stripes join forces to uplift the nonprofits working tirelessly to improve our communities. All it takes is cross-sector imagination and a commitment to thinking beyond turf. Hilary Smith is EVP of corporate social responsibility at NBCUniversal.
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E-Commerce
Late last month, shares in EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) entered the stratosphere. The stock jumped as much as 80% in premarket trading on August 26 after it was announced that the company would sell some of its wireless spectrum licenses to AT&T for $23 billion. Now, EchoStar shares are up again in premarket trading. But this time its not thanks to its AT&T deal. It’s because the company has reached a deal with Elon Musks SpaceX. Heres what you need to know about why EchoStars shares are soaring again. Whats happened? Today, EchoStar announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with SpaceX to sell its AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses to Elon Musks company for approximately $17 billion. Spectrum licenses are government-granted licenses that give companies the right to operate their services on specific radio waves. If a company owns such licenses, it can often sell those licenses to other companies, as is the case in what EchoStar has previously announced it will do with AT&T. What does EchoStar get out of the deal? As with its previous spectrum license deal with AT&T, EchoStars spectrum license deal with SpaceX will primarily see the company getting boatloads of cash. SpaceX is offering EchoStar a total compensation of $17 billion for its spectrum licenses. Of that, $8.5 billion will be in cash and another $8.5 billion will be in SpaceX shares, which are currently only available privately. But EchoStar isnt just getting cash and SpaceX stock. The definitive agreement will also see SpaceX fund around $2 billion in cash interest payments to EchoStar. The two companies will also enter into a commercial agreement that will allow EchoStars Boost Mobile subscribers to access SpaceXs Starlink Direct to Cell service. EchoStar is the parent company of Boost Mobile, as well as Sling TV and the Dish Network satellite TV service. What does SpaceX get out of the deal? As for SpaceX, the companys president and COO, Gwynne Shotwell, says the deal will allow it to advance our mission to end mobile dead zones around the world. The deal will help do this by giving SpaceXs Starlink Direct to Cell satellites more spectrum to run on. In this next chapter, with exclusive spectrum, Shotwell said, SpaceX will develop next generation Starlink Direct to Cell satellites, which will have a step change in performance and enable us to enhance coverage for customers wherever they are in the world.” EchoStar/SpaceX deal also helps resolve FCC concerns The deal also has one other benefit for EchoStarits another step in helping the company resolve concerns by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its wireless spectrum licenses. Notably, SpaceX has long argued that EchoStar’s spectrum was being underutilized. Earlier this year, the FCC opened an investigation into the matter. EchoStar anticipates this transaction with SpaceX along with the previously announced spectrum sale will resolve the Federal Communications Commission’s inquiries, EchoStar said in a statement. How has EchoStars stock price reacted? Shares in EchoStar are soaring once again in the hours after the deal was announced. As of the time of this writing, SATS shares are currently up 23% in premarket trading to $82.75. That is an all-time high for the company, which, before todays surge, was worth about $20 billion. Before todays stock price jump, SATS had already had a great 2025, largely thanks to the August AT&T announcement. As of market close yesterday, SATS shares were up 193% year to date. Over the past 12 months, SATS shares were up 201%.
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E-Commerce
Wall Street pointed higher in early trading Monday ahead of two government inflation reports this week that could impact the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate decision.Futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each rose 0.2% before the bell. Nasdaq futures gained 0.4%.The Fed hasn’t touched its benchmark borrowing rate in 2025, in part due to healthy unemployment levels and inflation that remains above its 2% target. Uncertainty over the impact President Donald Trump’s tariffswhich most economists say trigger price increaseshave bolstered the Fed’s position so far this year, despite Trump’s calls for a rate cut.However, recent data have shown a deteriorating labor market and many expect the U.S. central bank to issue a quarter-point cut when it meets next week. Such cuts can give the economy and job market a boost, though they can also accelerate inflation.That makes tricky work for Fed officials, whose dual mandate is to keep the labor market churning out jobs while making sure prices stay in check.The Labor Department issues its producer prices report on Wednesday, followed by its consumer prices report Thursday. The Fed meets on September 16 and 17, when it is expected to announce a rate cut.In equities trading Monday, EchoStar jumped nearly 24% before the bell on news that it had reached a deal to sell $17 billion worth of spectrum licenses to Elon Musk’s SpaceX.SpaceX and EchoStar will enter into a long-term commercial agreement which will allow EchoStar’s Boost Mobile subscribers to access SpaceX’s next generation Starlink Direct to Cell service.Late last month, EchoStar shares soared more than 70% in a single day after AT&T said that it would spend $23 billion to acquire wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar.Also early Monday, AppLovin and Robinhood each soared around 9% after S&P Dow Jones announced the two companies would be joining the S&P 500.Coming later this week are earnings reports from Oracle and Adobe.Global shares mostly rose with Japan’s benchmark rising despite the looming political uncertainty after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced last night that he plans to resign.Analysts said Ishiba’s announcement was expected for some time and welcomed it as moving things forward, although uncertainty remains as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will need to hold an election to choose a new leader. Ishiba will remain prime minister until his successor is chosen and approved by parliament.“Markets may react short-term to the temporary uncertainty of lame-duck leadership, but this may resolve once a new leader is chosen. Meanwhile, the LDP’s position as a minority leading party is unlikely to change anytime soon, and as such compromise will be the name of the policymaking game,” said Naomi Fink, chief global strategist at Amova Asset Management.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.5% to finish at 43,643.81. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.5% to 3,219.59. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.2% to 8,849.60.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged up 0.9% to 25,633.91, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.4% to 3,826.84.Also Monday, Japan’s Cabinet Office said the economy expanded at a stronger rate in the fiscal first quarter than previously estimated, at a seasonally adjusted 2.2% annualized rate, better than the earlier 1.0% rate as solid consumer spending and inventories lifted growth more than previously thought.Japanese auto stocks rallied after the U.S. finalized a trade deal with Japan. Tariffs on Japanese autos surged to 15% from the initial 2.5%, considerably lower than the 27.5% initially discussed.Toyota stock gained 0.3%, while Nissan stock rose 2.4%. Subaru issues added 1.3%, while Mitsubishi Motors edged up 1.2%.“The Bank of Japan remained in focus as strong wage data increased expectations for a potential rate hike later this year,” said Bas Kooijman at DHF Capital SA, noting that wages were rising.In Europe at midday, France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX each rose 0.5%, while Britain’s FTSE 100 was unchanged. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads. Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott, AP Business Writers
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E-Commerce
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